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11th August 2017
08:49am BST

But that gutsy victory a year ago did more than that because, apparently, it was in those five rounds against Diaz that McGregor convinced the Nevada State Athletic Commission to licence him for his upcoming boxing debut against 49-0 legend Floyd Mayweather.
Certain eyebrows were raised when the NSAC gave the green light to a fighter with no boxing experience whatsoever to meet Mayweather in the ring but the commission's executive director has since explained the logic behind it.
"I reviewed UFC 202 which was a perfect indicator of Conor's boxing abilities," Bob Bennett told Sky Sports.
"Then I gave renowned trainer Virgil Hunter a call. I said: 'I heard Diaz was a sparring partner for Andre Ward?'
"Virgil confirmed that Diaz has sparred with Ward at least 12 times. As we know, Ward was a world super middleweight champion and now a light heavyweight champion.
"Diaz had also sparred a dozen times with Brandon Gonzales, a super-middleweight with a record of 18-1-1. He also sparred a dozen times with Andrzej Fonfara, a light-heavyweight with a record of 29-5.
"Virgil believes that Diaz could have been a world class boxer if he hadn't become an MMA fighter. Virgil holds Diaz's boxing ability in high regard.
"But then look at UFC 202 when McGregor fought Diaz, predominantly striking. McGregor knocked down Diaz in the first and second rounds. McGregor took some hellacious shots to his jaw from Diaz, and they didn't move him. McGregor fired a number of shots that hurt Diaz.
"Watching McGregor in that fight did contribute to me finding [the Mayweather fight] approvable."Explore more on these topics: